


When It Happened

by leothelittlelion



Series: Kara's Life [4]
Category: DCU
Genre: Abandonment Issues, F/M, Gen, I Made Myself Cry, Multi, Rape Aftermath, Running Away, Sad Ending, Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-03
Updated: 2014-11-03
Packaged: 2018-02-23 22:17:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2557712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leothelittlelion/pseuds/leothelittlelion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clark makes a mistake, Kara gets the brunt end of said mistake. Self harm, rape.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When It Happened

Wonder Woman, Batman and superman were meeting in the latter's apartment after a mission gone wrong. Batman and Wonder Woman were trying to convince Superman that he needed to come with them on a mission in space. Superman didn't want to leave Kara. "You have no choice Kent. You're part of the League, you're part of the missions. You should have thought of babysitters before." "Before what?" The Man of Steel asked testily. "Before you adopted Kara." "I didn't exactly have a choice. She was dumped on me!" He snapped. Diana looked at the door behind him and quickly looked down. Clark turned around and his heart constricted. Kara was standing in the doorway, her blanket hugged to her chest and tears filling her eyes. "You don't want me." She whispered so only Clark could hear. Before Clark could say anything, Kara spin on her heel and dashed to her room. "Good job." Batman deadpanned. "I didn't, she." Diana sighed. Clark, you idiot. "Give her some time alone, then go talk to her."

She and Batman left and Clark tried to pass time, by changing into regular clothes, making dinner, finishing a news report. Eventually, he listened carefully for Kara, to see if she was still crying. Nothing. No crying, no movement, no heartbeat. "Kara!" He ran to her room and pulled it apart. "KARA! KARA!!" She was gone.

He changed again and and flicked on his communicator. J'ohn's filled the monitor. "Superman. How can I-" "Kara's gone. I-I can't find her. Please J'ohn can you help me?" "Certainly. When was the last time you saw her?" "About three hours ago. She, I, well long story. I thought she was in her room." "I will try to trace her. For now, search the city." Superman turned away. "And Superman? Stay calm."

Superman started to search the city carefully with his x-ray vision. He started at the far end, near Happy Harbor and worked his way across. J'ohn called him back about halfway through and said he had found nothing. "I can't lose her J'ohn." "I know. Keep looking." Wonder Woman and Flash searched in the streets of Metropolis and Batman went around. When he was done with Metropolis, the Big Blue searched Central City, Star City, Chelsea and Happy Harbor. Still empty. He flew up into space and punched several stars out of orbit. _God, Kara, where are you? Please, just give me something so I know you're alive_. "Superman, come back to Earth." Batman barked. "Have you found Kara? She's been gone over six hours." He growled back. "We're working on it. Get back down here." Superman took off at the speed of light, his frantic mind on his lost daughter.

J'ohn hummed very softly to himself as he searched telepathically for Kara. He skimmed over Metropolis, looking for some sign of the young child's mind. He passed over two men, talking to each other quietly. "If an'one come an' try to get her, kill her. No mercy." He focused a bit harder and saw what the other was doing the small, blonde girl. The Martian felt a pang of anger at the act and walked briskly over to to the zeta tubes and types in his coordinates. As he was teleported away, he shifted into his human form to, as Flash would say, "under the radar". John Jones neared his destination and snuck around the back. He phased through the wall and reshifted into his usual form. He could hear the two men close by. J'ohn phased through the last wall and came face to face with the men. "What the hell! Get the girl and go!" The larger, more burly man put up his fists while the smaller man roughly grabbed Kara and ran. J'ohn knocked out the man in front of him and flew after the other. He turned to look at J'ohn and with a desperate look, threw Kara against the wall and put his hands up. "I din mean it! He ma' me! Don' hur' me!" J'ohn entered the man's mind and rendered him unconscious and before going over to Kara and laying a hand on her arm. Kara yelped and curled tighter in a ball. "Kara." The blonde shook her head and kept trying to tuck into herself more. J'ohn entered her mind and called to her consciousness. _Kara, please calm down. No one is going to hurt you know. You're safe._ This seemed to do the trick, as Kara unfurled just enough so J'ohn could properly see her. He grabbed a curtain off the rod and wrapped it around her shivering body. He picked her up slowly, as to not scare her more and flew out the window. He mentally contacted Wonder Woman and she met him on the roof of the building. " _Why telepathy?" "Ido not wish for Superman to overhear us. If he sees Kara in this state, he will attack the men that did this." "What state?"_ Diana asked warily. She peeled back the cloth to see Kara and she briefly closed her eyes. "Men." She muttered under her breath. "If you get Clark, I will bring Kara up to the Watchtower infirmary." "J'ohn nodded and transferred Kara into her arms. Kara cried out and huddled up again. "Hurry." J'ohn told the worried Diana. She nodded and called for pickup.

As Diana flew to the infirmary, she noticed just how hard Kara was shaking and how pale she was. Her arms were crossed over her bare chest and she had her legs tucked up. Tears ran down her face but she made no noise. A nurse opened the door and led the Amazon to a private room and instructed her to lay Kara on a table and take away the fabric. Diana laid the girl on the table but chose to leave the curtain on the cold, steel examining table. Diana sat by her head and stroked her hair as the doctor and nurse cleaned Kara up and changed her into the smallest hospital gown they could find. Kara was set in a bed with two IVs and a monitor over her head. Diana sat died beside her a lightly took her hand, circling her thumb around the back of Kara's small hand. Superman almost broke the door coming in. "Where's Kara?" He growled and the doctor led him over to Diana and Kara. He bent over and kissed Kara's forehead and brushed hair off her face. "What did they do to her?" His voice was strained. "She took a beating, minor head injury, lots of bruises and cuts. She was raped, and non to gently I'm afraid. Miss Kara is on a heavy painkiller and will be asleep for at least another three hours." The doctor left and Clark slumped into he seat across from Diana, his head in his hands. "She'll be okay Clark." "Kara is ten years old Diana. A child. Whoever did this to her took something she can never get back." "Kara is strong. She will move on." Clark ran the back of his hand down Kara's cheek and sighed. "She could've died. Died thinking I didn't want her. That I took her in because I had no choice."

Clark didn't move for several hours, just sat staring at his daughter. Batman and J'ohn came in to inform him that the men who did this were in jail were going to be tried in court the next morning. Batman stayed a bit longer, adjusting the IVs and checking the monitor. "She'll be okay Clark." "She was raped Bruce. She's ten years old and she was raped." "Kara will be able to move on." Batman left and Clark fought back tears. Kara looked in pain, even in sleep, her eyebrow scrunched together, hands clenched and frowning. Clark smoothed her hands out and leaned his head on the edge of the bed. The monitor was beeping, indicating that Kara was waking up and Clark sat up straight. "Kara." He softly called. "Kara, wake up." Kara wouldn't open her eyes, and when Clark went to touch her arm, she violently flinched and moved farther into the bed. "Kara, wake up. You are safe, you're in the watchtower." Kara slowly opened her eyes and looked away from Clark. "Kara, please." Clark carefully placed his hands on her arm and when she didn't protest, he turned her to face him. She was crying silently, tears falling down he cheeks and her blue eyes looked duller then usual. "Oh Kara." Clark sighed and kissed her forehead. The nurse came in and gave Kara a shot of something. "This is for the pain, and you'll have to sleep for a another few hours." Kara nodded and closed her eyes. "I'll be right here." Clark promised her. The next time Kara awoke, the light was hazy and there was someone standing over her. Kara yelped and burrowed into the bed. Strong, warm hands lifted her back out and tucked the covers around. "Kara honey, relax. It's Diana and you're at home. You're safe." "Di?" "Yes. Go back to sleep." Diana kissed her cheek and sleep took Kara again.

The final time Kara woke up from her drug induced state, she was alone in her room. It was dark, but her superman nightlight was on in the far corner of the room. She saw a glass of water on the bedside table but knocked it over when she reached for it. It shattered on the floor and it sent Clark into her room. Kara looked away guiltily and slipped deeper in bed. She felt him sit down beside her and touch her head. "Kara, come out please. I don't care about the glass." Kara didn't budge. Clark pushed away the duvet and lifted Kara onto his lap. "Kara, just talk to me. Please." Kara attempted to get back in bed but Clark held her firm. It caused Kara to panic, wriggling around, crying out and pushing Clark away. "Kara, what?" "Clark, let her go." Diana stood in the doorway, a look of concern plastered on her face. Clark released Kara and watched her slip back under the covers and pull them over her head. "Diana, what did I do?" Clark stood up and followed the raven haired beauty to the living room. "She was just raped by two men who probably held her the same way, and laughed when she tried to escape. J'ohn told me this might happen. We have to be careful around Kara, touching her, talking to her. Give her some time and space." With that, Diana went back into Kara's room and Clark could hear her murmuring to the scared girl.

The next morning, after a sleepless night, Clark got up and started to make breakfast. Like himself, Diana and Kara had big appetites and normally ate a lot in the morning. He turned on the waffle maker and started to make the batter. A pile of blueberry waffles grew on the plate and turkey bacon was frying in a pan. Diana came in holding Kara's hand and kissed Clark on the cheek. "Morning hon." "Good morning Diana, Kara." "Morning." Kara whispered. Clark set a plate of waffles, strawberries, bacon and a glass of apple juice in front of Kara, the same plate for himself and Diana and mugs of coffee. Diana and Clark talked about the last League meeting, the prank some of the younger members pulled on both Green Lanterns. "Bruce called last night. He and Dick are coming over later." Diana remarked. "Kay." Kara said softly. Clark and Diana exchanged a look before turning back to breakfast.

Batman came home when Kara was released from the hospital. He shucked off the Batman gear andhopped in  the steam room in the Cave. When he was done, he put on regular clothes and went upstairs. He could smell Alfred cooking and Bruce started the daily hunt for Dick. "Dick! Get down here, I need to talk to you." Dick jumped down from the overhead chandelier and landed in front of his father. "Hi." He grins. Bruce can't bring himself to smile back. "Come here." He led Dick to his study and sat behind the desk. Dick hopped in the chair across and folded his legs up. "What's up? Did you find Karrie?" "Yes we did. She just went home from the hospital this afternoon." Dick's expression shifted to worry. "Is she hurt? What's wrong with her? Can I visit?" "Dick, calm down. She has a couple of bruises, she took a hit to the head and…" "And what?" "Kara was raped, Dick. She was taken advantage of and used for two strangers pleasure." Dick looked down, tears burning his eyes and throat. Why Kara? What did she do to deserve this? A tear slipped down his cheek and Dick wiped it away before Bruce could see. "Dick, come here." Bruce said and Dick walked over, slightly ashamed. Bruce pulled Dick up so he was resting in his lap and he lightly gripped his son's arms. "It's okay to be sad Dick. Kara didn't deserve this, no one does. Right now, Kara's going to need her friend, she probably is scared and feeling very alone." "Did you catch the men who did this?" "Of course. They're going to jail for a long time." "Good. D'you think Alfred could make her chocolate cookies? They're her favorite." Bruce smiled. "You can ask." Dick gave a tiny smile and ran to ask the butler.

Kara was lying in bed, moving around to try and quell the itch between her legs. The doctor said it was normal, but it was _annoying_. Giving up, she walked to her bathroom and pulled down her pj pants and underwear. The light blue panties were stained a deep red. Again. Swallowing her pride, she called out for Diana and the Amazon took one look at Kara and disappeared. She reappeared with a small black box and handed it to Kara. "Put one in your underwear and the blood will stop staining." Kara pulled the flat, plastic covered thing and looked back at Diana. She took the hint and took off the plastic. She showed Kara how to put the maxi-pad on and stood up. Kara pulled her pants back up and washed her hands. "Kara, Bruce and Richard will be here in ten minutes. How are you feeling?" Kara shrugged one shoulder and Diana wound her arms around Kara carefully. Kara laid her head on Diana's stomach, she wasn't tall enough to lay it on the tall woman's chest or shoulder. "Remember Kara, you're safe now. Daddy, Bruce and I won't let anyone hurt you again." "Promise?" "A princess never breaks her promises." Kara held out her pinky finger and Diana looped her own around it. "Now get back in bed. You're still healing." Kara scampered away and Diana sat down on the closed toilet heavily. She loved Kara more then anything  and seeing her avoid Clark and hiding when he came near was taking a toll on both of them. Damn the monsters that did this to her! Kara is only a child, she hardly knew what they were doing to her. Sighing, Diana stood up and walked out of Kara's bathroom. Kara was in bed again, an army of stuffed animals surrounding her. She had her pink Nintendo DS on her lap and the tv was switched to Phineas and Ferb. Diana kissed the top of her head and went to answer the door. Dick shed his coat and shoes before Bruce was fully in the door and raced to Kara's room, his backpack flapping. Bruce looked at Diana and took off his coat.

Dick entered Kara's room cautiously and looked around. Kara was buried underneath a mountain of stuffed animals and blankets and was playing a game on her DS. Dick set his backpack on the edge of the bed and smiled at Kara. "Wanna play Mario Cart?" "Yea." "Good. Alfie made cookies for us." Dick jumped into the bed and sat beside Kara. He pulled his DS out of his bag and they played games, watched movies and ate cookies until all afternoon.

Bruce, Diana and Clark sat down in the living room and talked. "How's Kara?" Diana and Clark looked at each other before answering. "Not well. She avoids me, stays in her room and early talks." Clark answered. "That's normal. Physically, how is she?" "Still bleeding." Diana answered. "I think the stitches are bothering her. But she says her head doesn't hurt anymore and the bruises are fading." Bruce nodded. "The stitches should dissolve in a few weeks. The doctor said warm water will help. Can I see her?" "Sure." Diana and Bruce walked toward where they could hear the tv in Kara's room playing and quiet giggling. Bruce knocked before going in. Kara and Dick were curled up in Kara's bed with all her stuffed animals guarding them. The Lorax was playing on the tv and a half empty box of cookies was on the nightstand. "Hello Kara." "Hi." She said softly. "Hey Dick, could you give us a minute alone?" Kara's eyes widened and she desperately clutched Dick's hand, silently begging him not to leave her. Dick bit his lip and looked to his father to his best friend. "Kara, I'm going to stay right here. I won't come any closer." Dick slowly got out of the bed and walked out of the room. Kara pulled the comforter tight and looked at Bruce with those wide, bluer then blue eyes. "Kara, the men who did this to you were monsters. They didn't care about each other, the didn't care about other people, they probably didn't care about themselves. Anyone could have been a victim, you were just in he wrong place at the wrong time. Clark and I will never hurt you. Ever. No body's deserves it, especially you." Kara seemed to think about this, and she slowly got out from the covers and looked at Bruce. He sat on the end of her bed and she crawled into his lap. "You're safe. Diana, Clark and I will protect you." He hugged her tight, and let go and stood up. "I have I get Dick home soon. Please talk to your father. He's very worried about you."

After Dick had come in and hugged Kara goodbye, Clark entered and very cautiously sat on the bed. Kara peered up and him from the safety of her covers and blinked. "Kara, when I said you were dumped on me, that I had no choice in adopting you, I did not mean it like that. You were a surprise and I couldn't let anyone else take you. I adopted you for a reason, and that reason was I wanted a little girl to call my daughter, and this particular little girl needed a home and someone to take care of her." "I thought you were going to get rid of me so I ran away." Kara confessed quietly. Clark was getting choked up and he was careful to keep his voice steady. "Kara, I would never ever, ever, get rid of you. I love you to no end and I want you to always be my baby girl." Kara got out from under the covers and into his lap. He held her tight and stroked her hair. He could feel her crying, and his own tears escaped as well. "I don't want to be alone again." Kara whispered. "You won't. Ever again." He promised her. "Ever again."

Kara reached up into her closet and pulled out the survival kit Dick had given her last year. She ruffled through the contents until she pulled out the small, silver folding knife. She put it in her jean pocket and put the kit back. The tiny blonde walked to her bathroom and locked the door. Turning on the shower, she set the knife on the counter and started to pull off her clothes. She hopped in the shower and washed her hair and body. Her nails scraped over the cuts and small scars on her arms, legs and cheek and winced. When she was done, she turned off the shower, wrapped a towel around herself and sat on the closed toilet. Parting the towel, she stared at the bruises shaped like fingers on her inner thigh. Kara dropped the towel and stood up, inspecting herself in the mirror. Her thin body was covered in healing bruises, cuts and bumps. She had yellow and purple marks around her neck, wrists and ankles from the being tied up. Sitting back down, Kara unfolded the knife, the light reflecting off the shiny metal. With a shaking hand, she pressed the blade against the her thigh, and was amazed at the lack of pain. A trail was left going down her thigh of bright, hot blood. Fin.


End file.
